


The Flames of Romance

by caitwritesstuff



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Fire, M/M, Vicchan Lives, Victor's a fireman, Yuuri's a man he has to save, fire fighter au, sexy firemen calendar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-07
Updated: 2018-04-07
Packaged: 2019-04-19 17:24:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14242185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caitwritesstuff/pseuds/caitwritesstuff
Summary: Yuuri has the misfortune of living in the shittiest apartment building in the city so of course it has to go up in flames. In comes Victor, a strapping, strong fireman (and Mr. December on Yuuri's favorite sexy fireman calendar) to save the day. Can love bloom from the ashes of tragedy?





	The Flames of Romance

**Author's Note:**

> I want to give a huge hug to Adrianna99 for being my beta. 
> 
> Also!!!! This fic has art!!!! By the glorious Gaykatsudononice over on tumblr!

“Fuck Mr. Al. Fuck this leaky ceiling. Fuck the nymphomaniacs next door. Fuck this  _ entire _ apartment,” Yuuri growls, dumping out the water from the leak bucket where the water pipes from the apartment above had been dripping into his apartment. Yuuri has tried time and time again to contact his landlord to fix it but there’s only so much reliability you can expect from a slumlord. 

Yuuri would have left this hell on earth apartment building a long time ago if he could. Despite its overall shittiness the building is situated a comfortable walk to the closest subway station, it’s cheap and it allows dogs. On paper it is the perfect place for him but in reality this place isn’t suitable for anyone, including the rats. 

Yuuri places the now empty bucket underneath the drip zone and collapses down onto his couch. Vicchan jumps up to join Yuuri and curls up against his lap with a sigh. 

“I know.” Yuuri says scratching at the curls on top of Vicchan’s head. “I’m trying to find us someplace better.”

Yuuri’s phone pings with an incoming message. Yuuri rubs Vicchan’s exposed belly absently while he checked his messages. 

_ ‘Dude. Get on Overwatch now. I’ve had a shitty day and I need to kick some ass.’ _ \- Phichit

_ ‘Should I be worried about how you vent your feelings?’ -  _ Yuuri

_ ‘Overwatch. Headset. Now.’  _ \- Phichit

_ ‘Or I won’t give you the sexy firemen calendar for your birthday. Mr. December is on fire this year. I should know since I took all the damn photos.’  _ \- Phichit 

Every year Phichit offers his top notch photography services to the city’s fire department for their yearly calendar fundraising event and by god, Mr. December makes the entire year. Yes the other men are beautiful, but Mr. December . . . Mr. December has been known to be the center of Yuuri’s fantasies more than once with his striking platinum blond hair, piercing blue eyes, and rippling abs. 

December is indeed on fire.

_ ‘Fine. Give me 5.’  _ \- Yuuri

Yuuri grabs his headset and controller. He turns on his gaming console and is immediately pounced on by Phichit’s voice party request. 

“Hey Phichit.” Yuuri greets. 

“Yuuri! Let me tell you about this ho I had to deal with today.” Phichit starts to complain without hesitation. Yuuri just chuckles and settles himself in for a long rollercoaster of a story

Sometime later, after Yuuri and Phichit had gotten their fill of therapeutic video game mayhem, they sign off with the promise to chat again soon. Too tired to do anything else, Yuuri lays down and falls asleep with Vicchan snuggled on his chest. 

Yuuri dreams of poodles and a certain hot strapping fireman in a santa hat. 

_ “Hello handsome.”  _ The blond firefighter flirts with a wink. He’s holding two poodle puppies underneath his arms and Yuuri is not sure what he wants to touch more. 

_ “Aren’t you cold, Mr. Fireman?”  _ Yuuri asks, taking notice of the man’s nipply bare chest despite his pants and heavy boots indicate that their surroundings should be absolutely frigid. Not that Yuuri was complaining. The view was spectacular. 

_ “Please. Call me Mr. December _ , _ ”  _ Mr. December purrs, stepping closer to Yuuri. Yuuri knew exactly where this dream is headed and he had no desire to end it. 

_ “Can I do anything to warm you up, Mr. December?” _ Yuuri asks, running his hand over Mr. December’s rippling muscles. God, he feels more beautiful than Yuuri could have ever imagined. 

_ “I think we can come up with something.”  _ He grins, cupping Yuuri’s cheek and guiding Yuuri’s lips to meet his own. 

This fantasy is entirely self indulgent and absolutely had no basis in reality. Clearly Yuuri didn’t know Mr. December from Steve and he is well aware of that. Mr. December is just a hot face to fuel Yuuri’s sexually frustrated fantasies, but god if this didn’t feel right in the moment. 

Yuuri continued making out with his fantasy man and just as things were starting to get hot and heavy Yuuri began to feel hot.  _ Really  _ hot. Like, unnaturally, uncomfortably hot. 

_ “Is it hot in here?”  _ Yuuri pants between kisses. Mr. December didn’t seem at all bothered by the sudden increase in temperature. 

_ “It’s just me.” _ Mr. December flirts with a well timed wink. 

Yuuri tried to push aside all thoughts of how stifling hot the room is to focus his attention on his lover but his worries escalated once more when the distinct scent of smoke assaulted his senses. 

Yuuri shot up from his couch, his fantasy lover disappearing into nothingness and a whole new problem presenting itself.

Yuuri’s apartment is filled with smoke. A lot of smoke. 

“Shit, shit, shit, fuck, shit.” Yuuri swore gripping his hair in panic. Looking out to the fire escape it became quite clear that he wouldn’t be able escape the building that way. The stairs are rusted and broken in a few places a few floors down. He’d be more likely to fall to his death before the fire could get him. 

Praying that there was another way out, he scooped up Vicchan and ran out his apartment door without another thought of the possessions he was leaving behind.   

Yuuri ran down the stairwell but the further he ran down the thicker the smoke became. Yuuri coughed through the smoke and shielded Vicchan inside of his shirt hoping with everything he had that the stairwell was clear of flames.

Yuuri’s never been the lucky type.

Yuuri got to the second floor and is immediately stopped in his tracks by a wall of flames stopping him from descending any further.

“Fuck.” Yuuri coughs. Yuuri had no choice but to go back upstairs and takes his chances with the fire escape because clearly he is already too late for his ‘safe’ option. 

Yuuri rushes up the stairs faster than he ever has in his time renting this shitty place. When he bursts back into his apartment he sets Vicchan down for a moment to try and pry open the window. Try as hard as he did the window wouldn’t budge all the while the smoke was getting thicker and Yuuri was started to feel weaker and weaker by the minute. 

Yuuri searches for something to break the window but his strength is waning, he can feel himself start to suffocate from the lack of oxygen. Before he could even find something blunt to smash the window, Yuuri fell to his knees coughing violently. Vicchan ran over to Yuuri and began barking at him, encouraging Yuuri to continue fighting in the only way he could.

Both of their lives depended on this.

“Help!” He cried out weakly, the sirens outside his window starting to sound like they were underwater. “ _ Help _ .” Yuuri whimpered before collapsing onto the ground and succumbing to the darkness.

Sirens screamed far below, Vicchan barked and nudged his nose into Yuuri’s arm, and Yuuri vaguely heard a loud crash. The last thing he remembers is a fireman rushing into his apartment and bending down over Yuuri, a sight that Yuuri wasn’t sure was real or not.  

“Victor! That’s the last of them.” Victor’s coworker calls from across the smoke filled room. 

“There’s still three more floors!” Victor argues, one foot out the door already to make his way up to the next floor. 

“There’s no time! The building’s destabilizing too quickly. Chief Feltsmen’s orders,” the fireman said, adjusting the poor unconscious person on his shoulder. 

They had gotten a call just over an hour and a half ago about an overcrowded slum apartment building catching on fire. This was a case Victor’s seen time and time again. Skeezy landlord takes advantage of his tenants, neglects the building until it’s one bad breeze away from toppling over, an accidental spark flies stray, tragedy happens. 

It was Victor’s job to try and save as many poor souls as he could.

“One more floor.” Victor bargains. 

“We have orders Victor!” His entirely reasonable brother in arms argues. 

“I’ll just be a few minutes!” Victor shouts, already running up the stairs to the next floor. There was no stopping him and his coworker knew this. The exasperated fireman cut his losses with Victor and chose to bring the last of the people on this floor to safety. 

Victor called out as he made his way up the stairs, listening carefully for any sort of response. He pounds on door after door, trying to elicit any sort of response from any inhabitants that may still be stuck on this floor. 

Victor was just about to turn back and proceed to the next floor when he heard the sound of a barking dog coming from an ajar door at the end of the hall. 

“Hello?” Victor called out, rushing as fast he could to the door with all of his gear weighing him. “Is anyone still up here? Call out if you need help!” Victor instructed. He waited for a few brief moments but was only met with silence. Victor made the judgment call to break into the apartment to save the dog. 

Victor pushes open the apartment door and is immediately met with the sight of a small toy poodle barking frantically over its unconscious owner. Without hesitation, Victor scoops up the dog and lifts the man into his arms. Luckily the Japanese man is still breathing, even if it was weak, and that’s all that mattered for right now. 

Victor is well and truly out of time now. If they stayed in this building much longer there is no guarantee that it wouldn’t collapse under them. In the best interest of all the lives that were now in Victor’s hands he made their final escape through the ‘safe’ established path and to the paramedics that were waiting just outside the building. 

Victor hands the young man off to the most trusted EMT on the scene, Victor’s best friend and sluttiest critic, Christophe Giacometti. 

“You’re late.” Chris teases. Victor transferred the man onto a stretcher while Chris starts prepping an oxygen tank that was standing by. 

“You know me.” Victor winks casually, as if he didn’t just walk out of a burning building on the brink of collapse. 

“Ah yes. Always willing to risk life and limb while defying direct orders.” Chris tutted, securing the oxygen mask to the man’s face. “Yakov’s going to kill you one of these days if the fire doesn’t. And  _ now  _ you’re stealing puppies from my patients?” he asks pointedly gesturing to the soot and ash covered poodle shaking in Victor’s arms. Victor softly pats the dog’s head in calming reassurance. 

“I wasn’t going to just  _ leave _ him. Isn’t that right, boy?” Victor coos, scratching behind the dog’s ear. 

“I just wish you wouldn’t be so reckless all the time.” Chris chastises. 

“Hey I saved them didn’t I?” Victor argues, gesturing towards his wards. 

“Yes but one of these days what if you can’t?” Chris proposes. 

“I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it, won’t I?” Victor said. 

“I just don’t want to be attending your funeral anytime before we’re pervy old men, Victor,” Chris admits with a weight of gravity that pangs at Victor’s heart. 

Before he could respond, the man between them groaned, eyes slowly fluttering open. He looks between Chris and Victor with wide unfocused eyes. Chris set aside their conversation for presumably another date and started going about his duties as an EMT. 

“Hey there hotshot,” Chris greets, trying to pull the Japanese man’s attention to him. Despite Chris trying to grab hold of his attention, the man locks his chocolate brown eyes on Victor and for what felt like eternity they hold each other’s gaze.

Victor doesn’t want to look away. 

When they were in the building Victor didn’t have time to take in what the man looked like. His only priority was getting them both out of there alive. But now that the adrenaline was waning and they were both safe, Victor found him struck with awe at the beauty of the man that he had saved. The man isn’t conventionally beautiful per se, but Victor would be lying if he didn’t say that he found the man’s soft curves and warm gentle eyes incredibly endearing. 

“Can you tell me your name sir?” Chris asked again when he received no response from the man. Once again he was ignored. 

“You’re Mr. December,” the man states. 

“I see you have yourself a fan Victor.” Chris winks, taking the man’s pulse and moving on to recording his vitals. “Ask him his name, since I clearly don’t exist.”

“I am.” Victor affirmed. “Might I know your name? It only seems fair,” Victor asked, for the sake of his friend just trying to do his job. 

“Yuuri. Yuuri Katsuki,” Yuuri answers. Victor arched an eyebrow in his friend’s direction who scribbles down the man’s name and promptly continues his work. “A-are you an angel?” Yuuri asks, staring up a Victor with a sorrowful, confused expression. 

“No, but you are.” Victor winks playfully. Yuuri sighs and rested his head back against the headrest of the stretcher. 

“That’s nice.” Yuuri sighs, slipping his eyes closed. 

“Hey, hey kid. Stay with me!” Chris commands, rushing to Yuuri’s side and securing the oxygen mask to Yuuri’s face. “Sorry Victor, he really needs to get to a hospital. We’ll talk later, yeah?” 

Without another word Chris rushes off with his fallen angel in an ambulance. 

The toy poodle still in his arms nudges his cold nose into Victor’s chin. Victor scratches the top of the dog’s head and turns away to head back into reality that he still has a job to do and a fire to put out. 

He could find his angel again once the flames died down.

Later that night, Victor walks back to his own apartment building, knocks his boots off and sets the poor whimpering toy poodle onto the ground. Makkachin plods over from her dog bed nestled by the heating unit and curiously sniffs at the newcomer. Vicchan, as the name on his collar suggested, cowers into Victor’s legs before cautiously sniffing at Makka. Makka pokes her nose into Vicchan’s shoulder before promptly sneezing at the ash and grime that was caked in the poor poodle’s fur. 

“Alright you, time for a bath,” Victor said picking Vicchan up and bringing him over to the kitchen sink. Victor turned on the hot water and began rinsing Vicchan’s hair out with the hose attachment on his sink. He ran the jet of water through the dog’s fur until the water stopped running black with soot. 

“Do you think I’ll earn brownie points with your papa if I bring you back smelling like raspberries?” Victor asked the small poodle as he lathered the pooch’s curls with Makkachin’s usual shampoo. The dog smiled up at Victor with a wide doggish smile. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Do you think you could put a good word in for me to your papa? I think he’s swell and I would very much like to take him out sometime.” Victor admits. Vicchan just blinks and pants happily up at Victor. “I . . . am talking to a dog. God, I need more friends.” Victor sighed. 

As if on cue Victor’s phone rang with Chris’ caller ID lighting up the screen. He picks up the phone and sandwiches it between his chin and shoulder as he scrubs at the suds in Vicchan’s fur.

“Hey bitch.” Victor greets.

“Is that any way to greet the man who holds the power of you reuniting with your soulmate?” Chris tuts. 

“How’s Yuuri doing?” Victor asks. 

“I can’t say much because of patient confidentiality, but he arrived at St. James’ safe and sound and he should pull through in no time,” Chris explains. Victor let out a relieved sigh.

“That’s good,” Victor said. “I think I’m going to go see him tomorrow.”

“Well you  _ did  _ steal his dog. It’s the least you could do.”

The next day Victor struts into the hospital Yuuri was admitted to with giant bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates from the highest rated chocolatier in the city on Yelp. He is full of conviction and confidence, certain that Yuuri too felt the connection between them last night. 

Maybe Victor was grasping for straws, maybe the man was just grateful that Victor had pulled him out of the fire when he did. All Victor knew for sure is that something in Yuuri sparked an interest that had long sat dormant in Victor. He’s been alone for nearly his entire adult life, but maybe this chance connection could be his chance to finally meet someone new. 

Victor’s confidence lasts until he steps into Yuuri’s room and the man stares at him with a blank unregistering expression. 

“Who are you?” Yuuri asks. Victor’s heart deflates. 

“I’m not surprised you don’t remember. Memory loss is common among smoke inhalation victims. I’m the firefighter that pulled you out of the fire. I wanted to see how you were holding up,” Victor said, setting the flowers down next to the others that must have been from his friends and family. 

“I’ve been better,” Yuuri jokes. “I’m sorry, what was your name again?” he asks. 

“Victor. My name is Victor.” Victor answers. “Although, you were quite fond of referring to me as Mr. December last night,” he teases. Yuuri’s eyes widen in horror and he buries his head in his hands to hide his reddening cheeks

“Oh god. Did I seriously call you that?” Yuuri groans. “I’m sorry. My friend was the photographer for the calendar and he gives me a copy every year.”

“Well, I’m very flattered that you recognized me.” Victor smiles. 

“Victor . . . can I ask you something?” Yuuri asks, his expression turning sombre. 

“Anything,” Victor assures.

“Where is my dog? W-what happened to Vicchan?” he asks, his voice quavering with worry. Victor’s heart went out to the poor man. First his apartment building burned down, he very nearly dies, he wakes up in a strange hospital knowing that everything he owned is gone and to make matters worse he has no idea of the fate of his faithful companion. 

“He’s doing just fine. I took him  with me when I saved you. He’s safe and sound at my apartment, being kept company by my own poodle,” Victor reassures. Yuuri let out a deep sigh of relief, like the world had just been lifted off of his shoulders. 

“Thank god.” Yuuri sighs.

“I must say our dogs have become very good friends,” Victor said. 

“Yeah, Vicchan has always been the more sociable one out of the two of us.” Yuuri laughs.  

“Please excuse me if I’m being too bold, but I was wondering if you might like to arrange a playdate for them?” Victor asks. “I would hate to separate them after they’ve grown so close. But of course it’s completely up to you. I understand if you want to put all this behind you and move on with your life . . .” Victor rambles on nervously. With all the butterflies fluttering around in his stomach, you’d think he is professing his undying love for the man and not just simply asking to walk their dogs together. 

“I would like that, Victor,” Yuuri answers. Victor feels a sense of relief wash over him. 

“I look forward to it, Yuuri. For now I hope you get better soon,” Victor says. 

“Thank you, by the way,” Yuuri responds. 

“For?” Victor questions.

“Saving me. If it wasn’t for you . . .” Yuuri trails off, unwilling to follow the dark path of that sentence. 

“Hey, don’t mention it. It was my job to save you, but it would be my honor to have the chance to get to know you, Yuuri,” Victor assured.


End file.
